Recharge in Yichang

From Wuhan I took the train to Yichang. Not much excitement there as I more or less figured out how to work the train system in China with AMAP as a guide. Reached Yichang and activated Alipay Buscard for Yichang which makes life so much simpler not needing to find spare change. Yichang does not have a metro system as of 2023 so bus were the main mode of transport. RMB 2 for each ride be it long or short.

Window View from Train Journey to Yichang

I finally upgraded from hostel to full fledge Hotel room. Sleeping on 1 inch bed on hard wood for a week has made me sucumb to a little luxury to give me back my sanity. Proper bed, Queen size bed in fact for two person of RMB 89 per night is actually pretty good. I keep thinking the price I pay which is for 1 person but if I had a partner this would be a no brainer coz hostel cost nearly RMB 40 per person and two person would make up RMB 80.

Hotel in Yichang

Great toilet too, not the squat type but western bowl with clean hot shower area. I could only take a few days of grimy toilet for shower and eventually Yichang was to satisfy a few things at the same time. Good Toilet, soft bed and of course private space to get laundry done.

Laundry is by far the most hardest thing for a backpacker in China in my opinion. There are no coin laundry and normal laundry needs to wait a day to collect. Some big cities with international standard hostel (those that have proper bed and not the 1 inch mattress) would have a washing machine for use but dryers are quite a rare species to find. I found one in Suzhou and took the chance to wash everything although I still had a few days before it was due.

The rule was, whenever there is a chance to do quick laundry, its best to get it done. So here I am in Yichang in a private room with private bathroom. Everything into the sink for a hand wash immediatly after check in to give it as much time as possible to dry. Hence Yichang was a 2 night affair to allow laundry to dry.

Walking Around Yichang 

Walking Around Yichang

Although a gateway to the Three Gorges Dam, Yichang was relatively untouch by mass tourism. Most travellers would go through the Yangtze river cruise to see the Dam and surounding and barely giving Yichang a stop to explore. 

Budget backpacker like me which did not have the funds for a expensive cruise might end up in Yichang, but the lack of international tourist means almost no hostels in play and no touristic amenities. Yichang is a rare unpolished gem I would say, being so close to a world class engineering marvel.

Traveled on: Nov 2023